The latest developments in technology have enabled telecommunication services to achieve a breakthrough so as to be widely available to large numbers of users. Further, it is becoming more important to provide telecommunication services to fixed and mobile subscribers as efficiently and inexpensively as possible. Further, the usage of mobile applications results in an increasing need for wireless networks that are capable of delivering large amounts of data at high speed. Development of more efficient and higher bandwidth wireless networks has become increasingly important.
The 802.16 family of standards have been developed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) to provide for fixed, portable, and mobile Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) networks. The Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) forum facilitates the deployment of broadband wireless networks based on the IEEE 802.16 standard. In particular, the WiMAX forum ensures the compatibility and inter-operability of broadband wireless equipment. A broadband wireless network may be based on various standards, such as an IEEE 802.16e based WiMAX standard, and its evolution to IEEE 802.16m standard, which provide various types of services such as voice, packet data, and other similar services.
In the broadband wireless network, application packets are transmitted using a logical connection between a Mobile Station (MS) and a Base Station (BS). Each logical connection is associated with a scheduling service. The scheduling service defines the method by which the MS may request and get a grant from the BS for transmitting the application packets. Several scheduling services are defined to cater to the different Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of various applications. In the broadband wireless network based on IEEE 802.16m, Adaptive Grant and Polling Service (AGPS) is defined as a scheduling service for efficient operation and to provide QoS to the various applications. In AGPS two sets of QoS parameters are defined, those being a primary QoS parameter set and a secondary QoS parameter set. A Grant and Poling Interval (GPI) may be defined for each parameter set, such that a GPI_primary and a GPI_secondary define a grant interval, respectively, in the primary and secondary QoS parameter set. A Grant_Size_primary and a Grant_Size_secondary define a grant size, respectively, in the primary and secondary QoS parameter set.
Further, two methods of switching between the primary QoS parameter set and the secondary QoS parameter set may be defined. In a first method, the BS switches between the primary QoS parameter set and the secondary QoS parameter set based on a traffic pattern, and the first method may be referred to as implicit switching. In a second method, a switching request is sent by the MS to the BS to switch between the primary QoS parameter set and the secondary QoS parameter. One of the first and second methods selected according to a negotiation between the MS and BS at the time of service or logical connection creation.
The first and second methods for switching between the primary QoS parameter set and the secondary QoS parameter set rely on the successful transmission of the switching request or packet corresponding to the changed traffic pattern. In a case of a VOIP connection using AGPS service, if a silence VoIP packet sent by the MS is not received at the BS, then BS assumes that MS is in an active mode and continues to allocate the resources for the MS based on a QoS parameter set corresponding to the active mode. In such a case, even though the MS has switched to a silence mode of operation, the BS continuously allocates the resources based on the QoS parameter set corresponding to the active mode which may lead to a wastage of resources and a switching delay. The allocation of the grant after switching and actual transmission time of packets is also not synchronized because of switching delay. In the light of above discussion, it is evident that the existing methods for switching between the primary QoS parameter set and the secondary QoS parameter set is not efficient. Hence, there is a need for method that synchronizes grant allocation and packet transmission time and also reduces the wastage of resources and switching delays, while switching from the primary QoS parameter set and the secondary QoS parameter set.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.